Falken Wildpeak AT4W vs Cooper Discoverer Road+Trail

[EJH]

EJH,

Sounds like you have it pretty much figured out already. For what it’s worth, here were my criteria when I was in a similar situation somewhat recently (as now applied to your situation):

1. PRICE – if they are similar in overall performance specs, save yourself some money and go with the cheaper one.

2. WARRANTY – Both have the same warranty so a wash.

3. ON ROAD / OFF-ROAD PERFORMANCE – both are new so hard to get the ground truth with limited data/reviews (both seem to perform well, though from what little I read).

4. BLACKWALL vs OUTLINED WHITE LETTERING (OWL) – Personal preference (note OWL strangely adds weight).

5. LOAD RANGE – SL, XL C, etc. If you can get XL over SL while still saving weight, that is huge in my book given what you are looking to do with them.

6. TIRE WEIGHT – Not only for MPG but a lighter wheel will be more responsive and less wear & tear on associated components.

7. 3PMSF – Both have this rating so a wash.

8. NOISE – I believe Cooper has the edge, but don’t quote me on that.

9. COUNTRY OF MANUFACTURE – Falken = Japanese company with a plant or two in the U.S.; Cooper = U.S. company with plants in the U.S. That said, both are solid companies and it’s hard to really know what is or is not made in the U.S. anymore. I would give the edge to Cooper just on trying to support U.S. companies as much as possible.

10. AGGRESSIVE OFF-ROAD LOOKS – Whatever is most appealing to you.

“I’m concerned about sluggish acceleration. Less concerned with MPG loss. (I have no plans to tune the engine, please do not suggest that).”

• You may (depending on your budget/interests) look into lighter wheels (rims) and/or rotors. Both can effectively free up some unsprung weight and lessen some of the sluggishness. I, myself, switched out the factory wheels that came on my truck (27ish lbs) to the 17x8 Ford Ranger Tremor factory wheels (25 lbs) in order to combat the extra weight of the tires. Lighter rotors would do the same (or do both for even greater benefits). Just some additional food for thought if this becomes more of a concern.

Hope this helps.

R/
NOMAD

We are in agreement for the most part. I am highly leaning towards the Coopers. Your analysis above is spot on. I'll post back when I get the new tires with some pictures also (probably a couple weeks out).

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[EJH]

Update: I have an appt with Discount in three weeks to have the Coopers in 265/65R18 installed. My Discount in Bend, OR is booking pretty far out. I wonder if Joe @Discount Tire is able to help pull that in?

 

[Discount Tire]

@EJH On it! I sent a DM your way!

 

[EJH]

@EJH On it! I sent a DM your way!

My local Discount called and we moved the appt up significantly.
Thanks.

 

[Joeiconic]

My local Discount called and we moved the appt up significantly.
Thanks.

you going white letter or blackwall? The white letter is pretty sweet.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url...ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCODZgJyh2YUDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

 

[EJH]

you going white letter or blackwall? The white letter is pretty sweet.

https://www.google.com/url?sa=i&url=https://www.tirerack.com/tires/cooper-discoverer-road-plus-trail-at&psig=AOvVaw2nt0jPaIlHAgqw0zv-qt0T&ust=1713993424418000&source=images&cd=vfe&opi=89978449&ved=0CBIQjRxqFwoTCODZgJyh2YUDFQAAAAAdAAAAABAE

Blackwall. After the OWL on the OEM Hankooks I will never voluntarily buy tires with white lettering

 

[NHR]

I had the Cooper Road and Trail ATs installed on my FX4 about a month ago. So far they've been great for on road and highway use. Haven't done any towing or off-road use yet.

Coming from the stock Dynapro LT tire these are much quieter. Not exactly a fair comparison since the Dynapros had 48k miles on them, but the Coopers do seem quieter than I remember the truck being when new.

Only disappointment is in my size they are SL. 265/65/R17. Hopefully they hold up and I don't regret it later.

 

[EJH]

I just got back from having the Cooper Discoverer Road+Trail installed in 265/65 R18.

Initially impressions after only driving surface streets up to 45mph.

• They look great. With my Fox 2.0 set at a pretty modest level, I could probably have gone to a full 32" tires (275/65 R18) without modifying anything. I feel that this size 265/65 R18 (31.5") is a sweet spot and don't want larger.
• The acceleration might be a tab slower. This was a given with any replacement tire other than the Hankooks which weight 35 or 36 lbs stock. The Coopers are 41 lbs. I'll get used to new gas pedal motions and this won't be an issue.
• At about 35 psi the tires feel much more firm than the Hankooks. With my Fox 2.0 and these tires, I love the way the truck drives. I did not realize how much of the Ranger bounce was due to the Hankooks being so squishy. I am curious to tow my travel trailer. I bet it feels much better towing.
• They are quieter than my half-way worn down Hankooks.

The main reasons I went with the Cooper over the Falkens were:

• weight - about 5 lbs lighter
• XL vs SL load rating
• cost - about $120 less with rebate.

Otherwise I am also a fan of Falken tires. I am sure they would have been a great option too. I just put their WIldpeak A/T Trail on my wife's Crosstrek and those have been impressive.

 

[underwhelmed]

Nice looking tires. I have been researching these. I'm going to get the 255/75/17s at 32.1".

 

[EJH]

Nice looking tires. I have been researching these. I'm going to get the 255/75/17s at 32.1".

That's awesome!

I was very tempted to go for a full 32" (275/65r18 in my case).

I'll post more real world experience after I get more miles on the tires. I am researching how to adjust the tire size with Forscan currently.

Here is a good side pic.

 

[Cmar]

You couldn't go wrong either way really, my next door neighbour put Wildpeaks on his rig and has a lot of praise for them, including they seem to last forever. I recon he'll get close to 100,000 Km out of them. I was going to follow suit when I replaced my boots, but a tyre place did a killer deal on Yokohama AT's so I ended up with them, and they're fine. Although I've never personally used Coopers, they have a pretty loyal following over here so can't be too bad.

 

[ThatsAMonkey]

@EJH At first I was going to go with the Firestone Destination AT2 tires but after some more research on what I really need for tires I'm leaning more towards the Cooper Discoverer Road + Trail AT. You mention the 265/65/18 is a sweet spot. I'm looking at going with 275/65/18 so how different would you suggest this difference would make after your initial drive with the 265's?
Goodyear has a 10% off sale but the rebates require their credit card.

 

[EJH]

@EJH At first I was going to go with the Firestone Destination AT2 tires but after some more research on what I really need for tires I'm leaning more towards the Cooper Discoverer Road + Trail AT. You mention the 265/65/18 is a sweet spot. I'm looking at going with 275/65/18 so how different would you suggest this difference would make after your initial drive with the 265's?
Goodyear has a 10% off sale but the rebates require their credit card.

275/65 would be 1/2" larger diameter and 1 cm wider. They would also raise the truck 1/4" more than mine.

Note the 275/65 are SL where 265/65 are XL load rated. I wanted XL for towing.

I think plenty here run 275/65R18, though 17" wheels are definitely more common than our 18"s on Rangers.

I didn't want the extra size and wanted XL load. That said, I think 275/65 is only 1-2 lbs more than 265/65. Probably minimal difference in MPG change.

 

[ThatsAMonkey]

275/65 would be 1/2" larger diameter and 1 cm wider. They would also raise the truck 1/4" more than mine.

Note the 275/65 are SL where 265/65 are XL load rated. I wanted XL for towing.

I think plenty here run 275/65R18, though 17" wheels are definitely more common than our 18"s on Rangers.

I didn't want the extra size and wanted XL load. That said, I think 275/65 is only 1-2 lbs more than 265/65. Probably minimal difference in MPG change.

Good eye. I do plan on towing and if the size difference is that minimal, then I think XL will be, to quote you, "the sweet spot".
Guess it is a good thing I spotted the 10% off deal!

 

[MXGOLF]

Looks good Ed. I have the Cooper AT3's from Discount Tire of course and love them.

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